wii

I know what I’m about to say will annoy millions of Nintendo fans around the globe and maybe even make some of the executives at the company scoff, but the way I see it, there’s no other way out for Nintendo than to end its love affair with consoles and go multiplatform with its hit titles.

I understand that, for years, Nintendo has rebuffed all suggestions that it should bring its titles to other multiple platforms. The company believes that it’s still going to benefit most from offering hardware and software on a single product and can’t fathom the thought of putting Mario or Zelda on an Xbox or PlayStation. First-party titles are the secret to its success, after all.

If the Wii Vitality Sensor escapes your memory, you're not the only one - it was announced back at E3 in 2009, and has since then seen very little in terms of development, raising speculation that Nintendo had given it the kibosh. Such was confirmed at the company's 73rd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, where the company said that due to inconsistent accuracy among different users it won't be launched.

If it seemed like Rovio's ever-popular bird-flinging game Angry Birds was on every platform imaginable, be prepared to be extremely wrong. It has yet to land on the Wii series of gaming consoles, but it's finally arriving. Come August 13, Rovio will be releasing Angry Birds Trilogy on both Wii consoles in retail stores.

Bad news for those still rocking out on the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo has announced that they'll be shutting down five Wii channels on June 28 in North America and Japan. Affected channels are Forecast, News, Everybody Votes, Check Mii Out, Digicam Print, and the Nintendo Channel, as well as the WiiConnect24 feature.

Let me say this loud and clear: any game console that tries to block used games will fail. And I, along with other gamers, will be happy to see it.

Over the last year or so, we’ve been hearing rumors that Microsoft’s next console, currently codenamed Durango, could ban used games. Microsoft, of course, hasn’t said anything on the matter, deciding instead to keep its plans close to the vest until it finally has the chance to unveil the device to the world. But the steady drumbeat of claims that the console won’t support used games is concerning.

Can we all just stop the nonsense, please? I’ve been sitting here for weeks now, waiting to hear from Nintendo that it’s ready to make major changes with the Wii U. And time and again, I’m left with the company scoffing at such a suggestion. The Wii U will be just fine, Nintendo says. And it’s about time we all believe it.

I’m worried about Nintendo. Yes, I know that I’ve told you here on SlashGear that I’m not the biggest fan of the Wii (or Wii U, for that matter) and I’m suspect of the value of Nintendo’s games library, but the company is still important to me.

Nintendo may be in full force with its new Wii U console, but the original Wii is still making its rounds. The newer Wii Mini gaming console -- a smaller version of the original Wii -- will be making a trip across the pond to the UK where it will be available for sale starting March 22. Previously, the console was a Canadian exclusive.

Back when Activision announced the first Skylanders game, a fair few people thought that offering collectible toys to use with a video game wasn't a winning idea. Fast forward to today and Skylanders is easily one of Activision's biggest franchises, perhaps second to only Call of Duty. Disney today introduced the world to its answer to Skylanders, officially pulling the veil off Disney Infinity.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a sales juggernaut in the U.S. In fact, according to the latest data from NPD, the Xbox 360 led all consoles in sales for 24 months in a row. The console even was able to beat out the Nintendo Wii U in December – a surprising feat considering that console just went on sale in November and the Xbox 360 has been available for seven years.